


The Butterfly Effect

by iamtheoneinthehole



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-16
Updated: 2014-04-16
Packaged: 2018-01-19 14:20:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1472935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamtheoneinthehole/pseuds/iamtheoneinthehole
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt adopted from the AH OT6 tag: AH OT6 where one of the guys is sent back in time before the guys got together, and his past self is sent forward, and the guys in the present have to figure out how to get their *Enter name* back, whist the one in the past has to figure out how to go forward without messing up the past. Its such an amazing prompt and I couldn’t quite resist having a go at filling it- hope you’ll like what I’ve done with it! Enjoy!</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Butterfly Effect

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based on the (above) amazing prompt lost-my-marbles-woops left in the ahot6 tag a little while ago. I had so much fun with this prompt so thank you for letting me adopt it! I just hope I did it the justice it deserves :)

Gavin Free was having a nice dream.

Or at least it seemed like a nice one. He couldn’t be quite sure seeing as the dream wasn’t exactly lucid, and he couldn’t quite make out any of the finer details of it… but he was still aware enough to know it was a pleasant one. Because it almost felt as if someone or something was curled into his side as he slept, warm and comforting and it almost felt _real_ but… Gavin knew that he had to be dreaming because it wasn’t as if he had any kind of partner around to be doing _that._

After all, he hadn’t been able to hold down a long term relationship in months now. And it wasn’t as if there was anything wrong with the people he tried to date, because most of them had seemed nice enough, and Gavin didn’t _think_ that there was anything wrong with him either it was just... whenever he tried to kick-start a relationship these days, something about it just seemed _wrong_ somehow, like he was making his moves on the wrong person. But since he still had no bloody clue who the _right_ person was he just had to keep making guess work and hope that at some point his brain would deign to inform the rest of him who he was actually bloody _meant_ to be pursuing.

But none of that really mattered right now as he slept. What mattered was the feeling of the warmth at his side, foreign enough to him that Gavin knew he _had_ to be dreaming, yet comforting enough that he found he didn’t mind the particular topic his subconscious had tried to focus on. Because while this dream might be kind of weird, a little uneventful and sort of colorless, it was still probably one of the best dreams he’d had in months. The warmth made him feel safe somehow, loved even and Gavin knew in his heart that he’d end up being majorly disappointed when he was forced to wake up because it really was a was a nice dream he’d been having...

Well that was until he’d realized that he wasn’t actually bloody dreaming.

It’d been with a loud squawk that Gavin had rolled over the edge of the bed, landing with a loud thud that seemed to make the man who’d had an arm around his waist stir a little and… wait, was that _Michael?_ “Gav?” Came the redhead’s slightly gruff, sleep heavy, voice as he’d carefully slipped out from where another arm was draped across his waist and… did that belong to _Ray_?

“Shut up idiots, it’s too fucking early for this shit.” Came another voice from the far end of the bed; a bed the Brit was belatedly realizing was way bigger than the one he was used to… and also far more crowded because that’d been Geoff’s voice he’d heard before and he could see Ryan with an arm flung around the man’s waist. And was that Jack that Ray had suddenly shifted to using as a makeshift pillow?

He knew in his head that was probably doing a pretty good impression of a goldfish right now but at the same time he didn’t really care because it was pretty bloody hard to think of anything beyond the fact that he’d just woken up in a bed he didn’t recognize with five of his co-workers, admittedly five ridiculously hot co-workers that were more friends that co-workers by this point but... five men he hadn’t expect to wake up with all the same.

It had to be some kind of weird joke right? That had to be it. Maybe he’d lost track of time at it was April 1st, maybe he hadn’t but the boys had just decided to fuck with him… both were perfectly reasonable assumptions to make. Especially the second since was to fuck with and get fucked with his boys… and maybe those hadn’t the best choice of words to describe their working relationship when he’d just woken up in bed with them and… _holy shit_ why wasn’t he wearing any bloody pants.

It’d been another shriek and the awkward scuffle that followed as Gavin grabbed the edges of the bed sheets to conserve his modesty that’d really grabbed the boys’ attention, some of them just stirring while the ones who’d already been awake, Michael and a begrudging Geoff, levelled him with a stare that seemed to suggest he’d grown an extra head. Because yeah, _he_ was being the bloody weird one here.

“W-What?” Was all the Brit could really manage to get out at first, the shock and confusion coursing through his system causing his words to catch in his throat a little, gaze flickering between the way the others were all still curled up on the bed and Michael and Geoff’s gazes themselves, which only seemed to grow more and more confused as they’d stared back. There’d been a few long beats of silence as a confused sort of silence fell upon the room, neither Gavin nor the others it seemed entirely sure what to say to break it...

That was until Ryan had chimed in with a slightly groggy, “What’s going on?”, his eyes blinking blearily for a few moments as he shifted a little at Geoff’s side, eyes slowly taking in the situation. And for one brief moment, Gavin had indulged himself in the belief that the man might wind up just as bloody confused as he was right now about this situation once he’d realized what position he was in and who with… but then he’d levelled the Brit was the same bewildered stare the other two were offering him and he knew, whatever the hell this situation was that he’d gotten himself into here, in his confusion at least, he was entirely bloody alone.

“That’s what I’d like to bloody know… where the hell are we and why wasn’t I wearing any bloody pants?” There was a slight quirk of Michael’s lips at that and… no. No bloody way. He’d _definitely_ have remembered if something like _that_ had happened. After all, as he’d thought before, they were all attractive men and he’d been lying to himself if he claimed to never having thought of them in _that_ way before… and so he’d definitely have remembered if he’d somehow managed to find his way into bed with them under _that_ context… But then again, his current state combined with the shared bed and Ryan’s mussed up hair that he was pretty sure wasn’t just a result of bedhead, did seem to be pointing towards the conclusion he was pretty determinedly trying not to draw here.

Before the redhead could actually say anything to actually confirm or deny his suspicions though, the other men had begun to stir from their positions on the bed, Jack murmuring a soft ‘morning’ to the room, Ray leaning up moments later to press a soft kiss to the older man’s lips and… well, Gavin was pretty damn sure his shock in response was pretty damn evident given the way he was now staring, wide eyed, at the spot where their lips had briefly met.

Because the way the two of them had kissed spoke of a well-practiced sort of intimacy, almost as if they’d been doing it for years and… well if that was the case, how the bloody hell hadn’t he noticed that before now?

And the sight of it had thrown him enough that it’d wound up taking a good few minutes to snap out of whatever shocked sort of haze he’d fallen into, long enough for the others to have started talking in hushed, and obviously concerned, whispers as Jack and Ray in particular kept shooting him the Brit the occasional worried glance. And he’d really had to strain to pick out anything from their conversation, just barely catching some snippets.

“...almost like this is the first time he’s ever...”

“...freaked out when he woke up and…”

“...doesn’t seem to remember how he’d ended up…”

“...it hasn’t happened for him yet.”

“What the hell do you mean by that?” Some more muffled whispering and then, “...No fucking way.”

And suddenly they were all turning to face him and the Brit couldn’t help but feel a little unnerved by their scrutiny as Geoff had suddenly asked him, “Gavin, what year is it?”

“2013.” There was a long pause as the boys exchanged looks that unnerved him a little because why did they look so bloody concerned all of a sudden?

“...Try 2017.”

“Wait… what?” He stared at them for a long moment, just the slightest hint of panic darting through him… but then the logical part of his mind had caught up with the rest of it and he’d remembered his thoughts earlier about April Fools and pranking and… even if it wasn’t that day of the year right now, it didn’t necessarily mean that the men he worked with still wouldn’t pull something like this. The people he worked with could he bloody assholes like that after all. And after a few more moments of deliberation about it, he was almost certain they were messing with him, an amused grin curling his lips as he’d continued, “You bloody pricks... I actually bought that for a second there-”

But their expressions hadn’t changed and now that was a little less tired, or in shock about certain ‘developments’ since he’d woken up, he couldn’t help but notice subtle differences in the men themselves. Like Geoff’s moustache having grown out a little or that Michael’s hair was a different length to that last time he’d seen it but… no, there was no bloody way this could be real, “This has to be some kind of prank, right? Some really bloody elaborate prank.”

“Gav… it’s not a prank, just check the damn date on my phone if you don’t believe me.” He’d accepted Geoff’s offered phone readily enough, hoping he’d be able to find something on there to ease his sudden insecurities about the situation… but instead he’d noticed things the phone itself, and how much more advanced it seemed. It had features Gavin had never even bloody heard of, hadn’t even known were possible and... the longer he looked at it, the more believable the men’s story suddenly became and… _bloody hell_.

“So this is the future.”

There was a long beat of silence after that as Gavin’s brain tried to process what’d happened meanwhile the others all traded varying looks of concern, until Geoff had finally snapped. The man gotten up from the bed, taking back his phone from Gavin as he’d claimed that he was going to get them the day off to sort out this fucking mess. After that he’d dialled the number, disappearing down the hallway moments later and Gavin had only just caught the very faintest whispers of conversation as the gent had left He was pretty sure he’d heard something about AHWU though and, more confusingly, Immersion… because that was a show that they’d hadn’t filmed in bloody years now… had they? He guessed that may well have changed at some point in the last four years though… and wasn’t that a bloody weird thought to be having right now?

He’d done his best to shake off his feelings of unease though, focusing his attention instead on the men in front of him who all seemed to be treating the situation with varying degrees of cautiousness, all of them no more sure what to say apparently than Gavin was himself until Ryan had finally ventured the question, “So 2013… which Achievement Hunters had Geoff hired by that point?”

“You guys, JJ, Caleb… plus Geoff’s started looking into hiring Lindsay too.”

“Guessing that means you still share an office with the rest of us assholes then-” Ray had chimed in, seeming to realize his mistake a few moments too late as Gavin’s eyes had suddenly widened because _still share_ kind of implied that...

“Wait, I get my own office? That’s bloody top!”

“Guess that answers that question then.” There’d been a wry smile to Michael’s lips that Gavin hadn’t quite been able to keep himself from returning, even as his mind whirred at a mile a minute to try to think what else he should ask. Because if this _was_ the bloody future, he really should take advantage of that, at least a little. And the first question that needed asking was pretty damn obvious really.

“Is Dan still in the army?”

“Yeah, and last time we checked he was fine.” And at that Gavin released a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d still been holding. Ever since Dan first signed up and the Brit had been left with the near constant fear that one day his best friend wouldn’t make it back home from the frontlines… and sure it wasn’t exactly a guarantee that he’d always make it back but… it was still _something_. To know that, at the very least for the next four years, he’d be safe.

And that in itself had made this whole bloody future thing worthwhile.

He’d just been gearing up to ask another question when Ray had suddenly cut in, a worried frown marring his features a little as he’d asked, “Michael… are you sure it’s a good idea to tell him this stuff? What about the butterfly effect?” And with those words, his eyes had shifted back to Gavin, eyeing the Brit almost as if he were waiting for some temporal anomaly to suddenly spring forth... and the vague possibility that it even could had practically left the Brit’s skin crawling with unease as he’d considered it.

Michael was more skeptical about it though, “Does any of that crap actually really affect this stuff?”

“Gavin seemed to think so… future Gav I mean, our Gav.” Ryan suddenly offered, shooting Gavin an apologetic look for the ‘our Gav’ comment that he’d barely even registered because… _future Gav_? For some reason he hadn’t even considered that factor up to this point. Perhaps there was some future version of himself trapped in his own past right now… or perhaps it was just that his past self had passed on the message when he’d gotten back to his own time. Either way, it did seem to speak well for his chances of winding up back in his own timeline and… well that was, honestly, reassuring to say the least.

“When did he say that?”

“Here,” And with that Ryan tossed a small sized note towards Jack, the man’s eyes quickly skimming over whatever was written there before handing it back to Ryan with a frown and turning his attention back to the Brit.

“Gavin… is this the first time you’ve woken up next to us?”

There was a long pause as the missing details here finally seemed to click into place and _oh… so it wasn’t just Jack and Ray who were together here…_ And suddenly the waking up naked in bed with these boys kind of made a little bit more sense than it had before, “Um yeah, this is the first time… I take that’s not the same for you guys though.”

Jack shook his head, minutely, barely there but... still enough for the Brit to notice. The same way he couldn’t help but notice how the other men’s expressions seemed to drop a little in response to the revelation. And after that, a long, heavy and slightly awkward silence fell upon the room, only _finally_ breaking when Geoff returned with the news that they officially had the day off to collectively get their shit together here.

They’d headed down to breakfast not long after that, Geoff getting started on some sort of fry up and hey, at least _that_ was something he was actually familiar with. All the same he couldn’t quite turn off the part of his brain that kept noting how different this apartment was from the one he was used to… nor could he fully ignore the looks the other men would shoot him whenever they thought he wasn’t looking, wistful and a little longing, their glances causing something to twist painfully within the Brit’s gut to the point where he actually had to force down the food Geoff had made. Because suddenly, seeing them like that, he didn’t feel all that hungry.

\----

It took all of five seconds of consciousness before Gavin realized exactly which day today was.

“Bollocks!” He yelled at the ceiling of his empty bedroom, feeling a little sheepish a few moments later when he caught a yell of “Keep it down idiot, it's too early for this shit,” drifting through from the room adjacent to his. He guessed he’d forgotten just how bloody thin the walls had always been in this apartment before they’d moved out of this place and into a better, more upmarket one with their other four boyfriends…

Well, he supposed, not boyfriends in _their_ eyes. Not now. Not in this time… and honestly it actually stung to even _think_ about that given how he’d grown so used to calling those boys his own. By the point he’d left in his timeline everyone had known that. Friends, family, co-workers, the fans… They’d all known for years now. And Gavin was even pretty sure he’d drunkenly yelled it at a couple of people in the streets on the way back home from a night out before Ray had rolled his eyes, Michael had jokingly clamped a hand over his mouth and Jack had apologized for the graphic sort of detail in which the Brit had been staking his ‘claim’...

They never had let Gavin bloody live that one down.

It was okay though because living with these men for as long as he had meant that they all had a pretty substantial wealth of blackmail material stacked up by this point… In this time though, the only one of them he’d ever lived with was Geoff and most of the stuff he had on the man hadn’t even happened yet. Because even when he’d been utterly convinced that he knew the man, perhaps better than anyone else in the whole damn office, he’d still barely scratched the surface in comparison to what he’d learnt about the man once they’d started dating. Because there were layers to the gent he’d never gotten the chance to see before they were together, layers that he was pretty sure now that he couldn’t _un_ see, couldn’t forget those quiet intimate moments they’d shared together, or those he’d shared with any of the men for that matter and…

Well he’d always suspected this would bloody harder the second time around, when it was his turn to go back in time. Had always known that when he’d been thrown forward, it must’ve been roughly a thousand times worse for his counterpart to be thrown back before any of them had been together but… even so, he’d never really been able to understand just _how_ hard it’d be. Not until now.

Because even the little things, like wandering over to his wardrobe to pick out what to wear for the day, were getting to him. Because he couldn’t help but wince as he only saw his own shirts hung up in there, not muddled in with Geoff’s or Jack’s or Ray’s, the matching Team Nice Dynamite shirts he and Michael sometimes wore as absent as the ‘Haywood Airlines’ shirt he sometimes wore to tease Ryan. He _could_ see the shirt he’d been wearing when he’d first kissed his boys, but knew the memory was a long way off being made. Plus those jeans in the corner of his wardrobe were ones he’d wind up throwing out after their third date because going paintballing had bloody _ruined_ them… and so it just felt wrong to see them there, even if they had once been his favourite pair of jeans. Because here they were, brand new looking (because they probably were), and present in the absence of all those other items, all those other memories...

And if just looking at his own bloody clothes made him feel this wrong, how the bloody hell was he meant to get through the rest of today without somehow giving the game away?

He’d eventually he’d forced himself into a random shirt, barely paying any note to its slogan beyond double checking that it actually was a Roosterteeth shirt, before heading down to make himself something to eat. He’d been halfway through cooking himself some pancakes when Geoff had suddenly wandered in, obviously still tired a little groggy though that’d seemed to fade from his features a little once he caught sight of Gavin cooking and… _oh, he used to be bloody awful at this back then… well now. Didn’t he?_

After all it’d taken a good two years, and endless patience on Geoff’s part after they’d started dating, for the man to actually manage to teach him how to cook properly. Before then he’d always seemed to burn things, sometimes to the point that he practically sent the kitchen up in flames with it… There had been a reason, after all, that he and Geoff had agreed not to let the Brit attempt to cook unsupervised a month or so after they’d first started living together...

And yet here he was with a stack of perfectly cooked pancakes and carefully flipping another without spilling any of the batter and… well really, it was hardly a surprise really that Geoff looked so bewildered considering that.

He’d made a point of messing up the next flip, the batter clinging to the ceiling for a long, painful, moment before pitifully sloping its way back down into the pan. He knew it probably wasn’t enough to completely throw Geoff off the scent but… at least it was something. Because the last thing he wanted to do was somehow mess with the timelines here, especially after leaving such careful instructions to his better halves about this while they dealt with past him… and wow, that was a bloody weird thought right now.

He shook it off though, keeping his focus on Geoff’s expression that still held just the slightest hint of confusion. It was less prominent than before though and, after a few more moments, the man had seemed to let it go, instead letting out a long suffering sigh, calling him a dumbass and offering to take over before he burned the whole damn kitchen down.

They both chose not to comment on the stack of perfectly good pancakes the Brit had already made and for that Gavin couldn’t help but feel grateful because maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t managed to minge things up here because of that… But all the same though, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t somehow manage to do it anyway if he didn’t check some of his facts first…

And so, as Geoff worked on finishing off the batch of pancakes, the Brit used the time to sneakily check different facts on his phone like the date, the current location of the Roosterteeth office, the last texts he’d sent each of his boys, which video they’d uploaded last… just to help him make sure he didn’t accidentally drop any spoilers about Let’s Plays they hadn’t filmed yet, events that hadn’t happened yet, people they hadn’t met or… well anything that’d disrupt the time flow really. And as he checked the information, he did his best not to visibly show his frustration at how bloody slow the wifi was on this thing. Because it wasn’t really that the wifi here was slow, just that the wifi in 2017 was that much faster and going from that to _this_ was… well a little disorientating to say the least.

But at least this time he’d experienced this stuff before… well, not exactly. Not this day but... this _time_ , the apartment, relationships he’d currently managed to build with his boys… he knew what he was doing here, or at least he had known it at some point and so, in that sense at least, it definitely was a better situation than he’d been in the last time this had happened…

At the same time though, last time he hadn’t been in love with his boys, and hadn’t been forced back to a time where his boys didn’t love him, or at the very least hadn’t realized they did. Not yet, not now, not for a bloody while actually… and maybe in that respect it was past him who was having a bloody easier time of it, because how the hell was he meant to ignore, let alone hide, the heartache he was feeling over that?

\----

Gavin had been observing the men in front of him for a while now and… well he couldn’t help but feel a little curious he guessed.

Because how could he not when so much had so obviously bloody changed in four years? He was curious about when those changes had happened, why,  how the world was different now because of those changes, if there’d been any significant shifts in the gaming market, which season of Red vs Blue Roosterteeth were producing now, whether the Slow Mo Guys was still doing well… Most of all though, he’d been curious about what had actually changed between him and these men to actually cause a relationship to spark to life between them because… Well the last time he checked they hadn’t even been _flirting_ seriously. And yet, here they were in a relationship that was serious enough for them to have their own place, with their own bloody _massive_ bed and their own shared closet with a whole bunch of shirts that Gavin apparently wasn’t allowed to see because they might somehow spoil something important for him. And they couldn’t really afford to take any risks as far as that was concerned...

He’d eventually been tossed his ‘People Like Grapes’ shirt, doing his best not to note how worn down it looked, another sign of the years that’d apparently passed, or how the boys had looked a little sheepish when he’d asked about his favourite pair of jeans and… he was half convinced he’d heard a mutter of something to do with ‘paint’ before he’d been tossed another almost identical pair…

The jeans weren’t important though. What was important was the fact that they’d somehow gone from an admittedly close, but as far as he’d known entirely platonic, unit to… well _this._

And in his curiosity, he couldn’t help but take extra notice of the way these men interacted with each other. Effortlessly, so obviously in sync and so strangely… _right_. And as he watched, he found himself suddenly wondering if maybe this had been the reason why he’d been failing to hold down a relationship in his own time. Because maybe these were the people he’d been meant to be pursuing… But then again, surely he’d have realized that before now if that was the case, right?

Honestly? He had no bloody idea and the other men weren’t exactly offering much to help him illuminate the situation since whenever he asked, and whenever Michael, Jack or Ray looked like they were about to answer and divulge some sort of information about how exactly they’d actually managed to reach this point… well that was when Ryan or Geoff would cut in with something about the bloody butterfly effect and they’d suddenly fall quiet again.

And he understood why they did that, of course… well he was pretty sure he did anyway. This whole bloody situation _was_ pretty bloody confusing after all… but he was still pretty sure what the men were doing here was in order to make sure nothing got drastically or inadvertently altered in order to protect their timelines because one of them had slipped up somehow and… well if certainly did speak well for their future together if they wanted to preserve it _this much_ … but that didn’t stop the secrecy from how they’d arrived at that better future from still being bloody frustrating the longer in continued…

But he forced those frustrated feelings aside, instead choosing to focus on the strange rush of warmth that moved through his chest as he watched Jack press a brief kiss to Geoff’s lips, or the way Ryan’s hand lingered over Ray’s shoulder a little longer than was strictly necessary as the man and Michael worked on setting up the Xbox one.

Apparently it was the oldest console they had on hand right now and it’d been deemed as ‘not too much of a spoiler’ since it’d already been announced in Gavin’s timeline. And the Brit couldn’t help but rave over how bloody top it’d looked as they’d set it up, loading up some game he’d never even heard of, even as Michael claimed the console was actually kind of old news by this point because even if it was, it was still definitely way more advanced than anything the Brit was used to.

And shortly after that, he’d been left in the redhead’s care as the others got to work on figuring out exactly what they needed to do here to reverse whatever the hell had actually happened, figuring Michael and the game combined would probably provide enough of a distraction to keep the Brit sufficiently occupied, and away from other potential temporal anomaly causers in the process…

And as they’d begun to play, and Michael had raged at him about somehow taking himself out with his own bloody grenade, the Brit found that they’d been right because playing games with the redhead, while a huge part of what he did for a living, was still a novelty that’d never quite worn off really… And honestly, right now it was also something that served as an anchor to him; a necessary tether to what he knew, to what he was familiar with, to the point that he clung to it with something verging on desperation, fully throwing himself into the game as he tried to drive out all of the frustratingly unanswered questions that would threaten to drive him bloody insane if he lingered over them for too long.

As he sat there playing though, his mind couldn’t help but briefly wander over to the other hypothetical him, wondering if their situation actually be easier or harder on the guy than it was being on him right now or if he really had ended up with the tougher end of the deal here… he guessed perhaps he’d be able to compare and know one day...

\----

Being back in the old office was bloody _weird_.

In a way it was nice to be around his boys again, to actually share his working space with them because he had, admittedly, missed that after their move to the new complex but… all the same, to be back in that comparatively tiny office with his broken desk with the chair that sometimes got caught under it… it was like having some sort of weird burst of nostalgia that only he could fully understand.

Because this office had always held a certain sort of messy, cluttered, dishevelled sort of charm to it. And, in many ways, he’d missed the place after they’d moved on. After all, so many things had happened within these four walls, important things, things that’d mattered… but at the same time things that hadn’t even happened yet for the other men currently sitting in this room.

And therein lay the hardest part. Because being back in the old office again meant spending more time in close proximity to these men, close enough that he could reach out and grasp Michael’s hand if he really wanted to, or turn to pull the redhead into a kiss and yet… at the same time he bloody couldn’t because of the bloody smegging timelines. He couldn’t because doing it now might inadvertently push Michael, or the others, or even all of them away from him forever and… disruption to the timelines aside, he’d never bloody forgive himself if he did that.

So instead he’d forced himself to focus on the edit he was working on, a light smile coming to his lips as the video brought back yet more nostalgia. He tried to focus his attention on that, and not on the fact that any interactions he had during that time, with Jack or Ray or any of his boys, were nothing more than platonic. Trying to ignore the fact that the dick jokes thrown around the office didn’t mean anything and when people made jokes about Mavin, it was exactly that; a punchline.

Of course he forced himself to smile and laugh his way through those jokes, offering a few remarks of his own and hoping that none of the men could tell that he wasn’t actually bloody joking when he did. Because even though he knew it was probably kind of dumb to be feeling this way, especially since this time he _knew_ in all certainty that they’d switch back, that he’d eventually get back the boys that were _his_ boys… He still couldn’t help but feel a pang of loss as he thought of all the little cutesy things they’d sometimes do together, holding hands, the kisses… just because they could. Because it’d taken so bloody long to get together and life was too damn short to waste those little opportunities… But now Gavin bloody couldn’t do _any_ of them and the Brit _had_ to let those opportunities waste away or else never have a single intimate moment with his boys at all.

And so he forced himself to ignore, or at the very least hide, the pangs he was feeling because nothing, bloody nothing at all, was worth that risk… He must not’ve been all that convincing in his attempts to hide them though because when he’d gone to grab some coffee, Ray had been quick to follow and ask if the Brit was okay, clearly having noticed that Gavin was being… well, a little _off_ today to say the least... He’d been quick to pass it off as nothing though, claiming that he just hadn’t slept well last night and felt a little more tired than usual because of it… But he could tell the lad hadn’t bought it even as he’d dropped the subject and left the Brit to finish up making his coffee and honestly Gavin wasn’t really sure how to fix that because… well he couldn’t exactly tell Ray the bloody truth about what was happening here, could he?

So he supposed he’d just have to perk up a little bit more convincingly when he went back to the Achievement Hunter office to film the Let’s Play they had scheduled for today, honestly already dreading it as he’d quickly downed the cup of the almost scalding hot liquid, glad that no one was around to witness the fact that he was drinking his coffee perhaps a little blacker than he’d used to (...it was another one of those long stories that hadn’t happened yet for anyone but him so it hardly mattered really did it?). After he was done, he’d quickly discarded the mug heading back to the office with a grin that hopefully seemed a little less forced this time as he’d settled back into his chair and they’d booted up the original and ever-familiar Achievement City, a slight smile coming to Gavin’s lips as he’d taken in the giant Achievement Hunter logo in the centre because… at least _some_ things never changed.

\----

Gavin and Michael had been playing the game Ray had picked out for them for what must’ve been a good hour or so when the Brit had finally decided to try his luck and ask again. Because Geoff and the others nowhere in sight to intervene right now if he did and… well the redhead had seemed the most sympathetic to the idea before, chances were he’d tell the Brit what he wanted to know, so long as he asked nicely enough, “Michael… how did all of us become… well an us?”

The redhead had turned away from the screen at that, eyeing the Brit for a long moment, and paying no heed to the fact that his character died while he did. And then he’d hit the button to pause the game, setting his controller aside as he’d fully turned to face him, “To start with? Well I’m pretty damn sure we’d all been harboring some sort of feelings for each other for a while before any of us actually realized it. Turns out, we were all pretty fucking oblivious about this stuff at first… But then, one day it was as if you’d finally managed to make the connection that none of us could because suddenly the goddamn flirty comments actually damn well _meant_ something when you made them.”

And Gavin was well aware that his eyes must have had widened a fraction at that, the revelation that _he’d_ somehow managed to figure out whatever this was first honestly more than a little bloody strange to the Brit because really, he couldn’t have been more bloody clueless about any of this if he’d bloody tried. Michael didn’t seem to notice this reaction though, or if he did had simply decided not to comment on it as he’d carried on regardless with his story.

“After that, I’m pretty sure we all started to have our own revelations about this stuff but… all the same, we were all too goddamn chicken to actually go ahead and make a move… it was you again that wound up fixing that.”

“How?”

“By turning to face me one day in the office and fucking planting one on me… After that, you made sure to give the rest of our boys the same treatment and… Well, I guess after that it just all kind of... fell into place.”

Gavin couldn’t help but smile a little at the image, trying not to analyse too much into the sudden rush of warmth that’d moved through him when Michael had called the others _their_ boys… though he couldn’t quite ignore the sudden direct his thoughts had wandered in after that as he’d begun to consider what it must’ve been like to pull the redhead into a kiss like that, right in the middle of the office, in front of everyone and… well based on the light flush he could now feel beginning to color his cheeks a little, it wasn’t exactly an idea that he found unappealing.

And based on the way Michael was smirking at him right now, he must’ve known, or at least had had enough of an idea of how the Brit’s mind worked to correctly guess, exactly where his thoughts had wandered right now... “In case you were wondering about the kiss by the way, it felt fucking _incredible_.”

And after that Gavin barely even registered the world around them for a long moment, didn’t even manage to notice when Geoff had arrived to check in with them, because all his brain could focus on right now was the look the redhead he was giving him, teasing, playful and yet… almost _hungry_. And as Geoff began to talk to Michael he was suddenly very grateful for the distraction as he adjusted his jeans a little, quickly grabbing one of the couch cushions to conveniently situate itself over his crotch because… while he imagined neither of the men would exactly _mind_ such a reaction given they were probably used to that kind of reaction from him at their end… on Gavin’s part, it opened up a whole can of worms that the Brit _really_ wasn’t ready to deal with, not yet anyway.

\----

The Let’s Play, as it turned out, had gone just about as well as bloody expected.

Because even ignoring the fact that he’d had to spend about half the damn Let’s Play checking and double checking the references he made to make bloody sure he wasn’t referring to something that hadn’t happened yet. Even excluding the fact that Ray’s concern only seemed to be growing as the day continued, a problem that he still had no bloody idea how to resolve… Even then there was still the fact that Gavin hadn’t played on the 360 in what felt like bloody _years_ now… and so he’d completely bloody forgotten how to use the controls, to work with the occasional gaming lags and the less impressive graphics or… well, bloody any of it really.

And because of that, he’d lost the Let’s Play even worse than usual, so distracted by what was going on that he’d even bloody forgot to erect his tower in the right place once he’d finally managed to get the hang of the game they were playing, giving Ray his victory to the endless amusement of the other men as they’d all but burst into hysterics. Meanwhile, he made deliberate ‘Gavin noises’ which, at the very least, he hadn’t really had to fake all that much.

All the same though, he’d been more than a little relieved when they’d finally managed to wrap up filming, making an immediate beeline for the coffee machine as the others dispersed to take lunch breaks or, in Ryan’s case, take his stuff back to the warehouse. He’d just been taking a moment to appreciate the slightly bitter taste scorching its way across his tongue when he’d suddenly realized he wasn’t alone in there, the ‘Mad King’ clearly having decided to trek down here for a caffeine boost himself.

He’d stepped aside, allowing Ryan to access the machine and feeling a sudden rush of silent gratitude when the man didn’t comment on his unusual coffee choice. He had, however, settled himself back against the counter afterwards, taking a sip of his own drink before he’d asked the Brit the same question Ray had earlier, “Are you okay Gavin? You just… seem a little _off_ I guess.”

And for whatever reason, maybe just because the day and the whole bloody situation was really starting to grate on him now, maybe just because of the fact that Ryan was probably the second best listener in their future relationship, Jack naturally having the number one position in that field, and the Brit could honestly use that just about now… but for whatever reason he’d actually opened up a little this time. Or as much as he could anyway, given the circumstances.

“I’ve been better I guess. It’s just... there’s been this bloody huge change that’s been happening in my life lately and… well, I guess it’s messing with my head a little.”

“Yeah? I know how that can be.” The older man had offered him a half smile of sympathy, Gavin’s eyes widening a fraction in response because… what?

“You do?”

“Well yeah. I’m pretty sure most people have been in that boat at least once in their lives.” _What?_ “Because it sounds to me like you’re falling in love with someone, right?” _Oh_ … well he guessed it was a better bloody excuse than just ‘being tired’... and not entirely untrue either since the heartache he was dealing with right now had a lot to do with that kind of stuff. He couldn’t help but feel a stab of envy run through him though as the rest of Ryan’s words caught up with him because… well of course he’d always known there’d been someone in each of his boys’ hearts before him, that kind of thing was inevitable really at their age but… all the same, it hurt to be reminded of that, even more so because he’d never had the chance to capture the man’s heart himself at this point and…

Okay, maybe he was being a little petty here. But hey, Gavin Free had never claimed to be particularly great at sharing with people who weren’t his boys and, fact was, he could get pretty damn possessive when he wanted to be, almost bordering on Michael’s levels though… perhaps not quite so confrontational as that. It was something the future versions of these men knew, found ‘cute’ or ‘endearing’ even, but it was out of place in this time because they weren’t _his_ boys yet and he had no damn right to even attempt to lay claim to them.

And so instead he’d focused his attention back on the gent’s question, hoping the man hadn’t noticed the slightly too long pause, nor the bordering on murderous glint that’d no doubt briefly crossed his gaze as he’d considered those that’d gone before him, “Yeah… well someones but, I guess you’re sort of on the right track there.”

“Someones?” _Gavin David Free, you’re a bloody idiot._

“I guess… it’s kind of complicated.” Why the hell had he felt the need to correct Ryan there? What the hell was he bloody thinking? Ryan wasn’t a bloody idiot after all, he had a pretty good chance of figuring things out here and if he did… well then they’d all be bloody screwed wouldn’t they?

And maybe the man had already figured it out given the way his eyes had visibly widened and yet… it wasn’t purely shock that he saw reflected back at him there. Because somewhere in the depths of the man’s gaze he saw a spark of something almost akin to… well, hope. And the man had gone ahead and dropped a bombshell on the Brit with, “You know I’ve been having similar feelings for a few someones lately.”

Suddenly Gavin realized that it hadn’t been him who’d realized what’d been lingering between them first, but this man stood here in front of him who was about one sentence away from bearing his heart to the Brit and… it bloody _killed_ him to know that because his past self wasn’t the Gavin Free that the man was talking to right now, not the one who was fully prepared for that kind of commitment, that kind of relationship… not yet anyway.

But Ryan didn’t know that and Gavin couldn’t tell him and really he should’ve just kept his bloody mouth shut because now he was going to have to all but break the man’s heart and all because of these bloody smegging timelines.

“Yeah? Well I’m sure, whoever they are, they’ll be bloody lucky to have someone like you... If you let me know who they are, maybe I can even put in a good word for you. Dan always told me I was a bloody top wingman for him.” And just like that, just with those few little carefully chosen words, the hopeful spark in the man’s eyes was gone, or at the very least dimmed so it was harder to see now… and all Gavin wanted to do in that moment was pull the man into his arms and tell him how he really felt and bloody kiss him until that spark was back, was magnified even but… he couldn’t and it bloody _burned_.

“Nah, it’s fine… I’m not so sure I’d be all that well received by them anyway.”

And he could hear the slight undercurrent of disappointment in the man’s words as he spoke, the Brit’s resolve teetering dangerously close to crumbling as he’d laid a comforting hand on the man’s shoulder that he honestly wasn’t sure if it was more for his or Ryan’s sake, offering him a half-smile before turning to wander back towards the Achievement Hunter office. He’d offered the man one final response though, his words coming out in a soft, barely there murmur that he almost hoped the gent heard, even though he probably shouldn’t, “I think you’d be surprised by how few bloody people could actually say no to you Ryan… least of all me.”

\----

Gavin Free was bloody bored out of his mind.

The others seemed to have figured out some sort of plan to send him back which was bloody top in theory except… Well they all seemed to have pretty different ideas about how to go about whatever it was and… well, it’d been bloody hours now and playing a game you still didn’t fully understand was only so much fun when you were playing it alone…

Worst part was, he couldn’t even be sure what the other men were discussing since they’d all collectively seemed to decide that, in this case, Gavin needed to remain as bloody ignorant as possible. And he knew that it was all to do with that goddamned butterfly effect that was _really_ starting to wear at the very last of Gavin’s nerves now because surely _this_ was something he should be allowed to know, that way he’d be able to write whatever bloody instructions they seemed to be following, or attempting to follow anyway, now and maybe the reason the instructions _were_ so ambiguous was because none of them had actually bloody bothered to clue in actual subject of the problem on their full plan here.

His attempts to rationalize this to the others though had fallen on deaf ears and, eventually, he’d just given up entirely on trying to talk them around, instead just settling himself down on one of the couches in their apartment for a nap because if he couldn’t contribute, he could at the very least catch a little rest while the others figured out their strategy… And he’d been about halfway to drifting off then and there when, suddenly, he was being gently nudged awake and then there was Jack in his periphery, the others having obviously exited the room at some point when he wasn’t paying attention.

And, moments later, the man moved to take a seat on the couch next to him, talking to Gavin for a little while about how things were in his own time, seemingly curious to revisit whatever part of the timeline the Brit was on right now. And he’d gotten this strange sort of nostalgic sort of smile as Gavin had talked about the old office and the latest work they’d produced, the man’s expression saddening a little when the conversation had then turned to what their relationship was like back then, if any of them had even started seriously flirting with each other yet.

And then suddenly they weren’t talking about the office, or the past versions of Jack and the others (and wasn’t it bloody weird that he was actually thinking of them as ‘past versions’ now when they were from his own bloody timeline), they were talking about Gavin himself. _Him_ Gavin not the other Gavin. Talking about how disorientating it was for the Brit to have been thrown forward in time, which changes had shocked him the most…

Eventually, inevitably, they’d reached his feelings on his and these men’s relationship… and needless to say, he’d surprised even himself by what words have come out of his mouth in response to _that_ … “I guess to say I was surprised would’ve been a bloody understatement but… it makes sense I guess, in a weird way. Because I think there might’ve been something there for a while… I haven’t had a long term  relationship in months you know? And I always thought it was because maybe I was trying to date the wrong person… well maybe I was only half right about that. Maybe it wasn’t a person but people and that’s why I couldn’t figure it out before. All I know is you guys are, and have been for a while actually, one of the main bloody reasons I love my job. I never smile wider or laugh harder than when I’m with you and… I guess I can’t believe it took this to realize it but I think I could pretty easily fall in love with you if I let myself… all of you.”

And before he’d even had a chance to begin to freak out a little over that revelation, Jack had been there with his soft, fond smile and surprisingly not a trace of shock in his gaze, almost as if he’d been expecting those exact words to fall from his lips just now… And who knows, maybe he had, “We all love you too and we’re very grateful that you did eventually decide that taking the risk there was worth it… It must be pretty fucking strange to be told like this how your life’s going to end up, and your love life especially so... for that reason I’m going to do my best to influence you as little as possible here. All I have to say is this… it’s worth it I promise. We’re all happy together, happier I think than we’d have ever been with anyone else… and it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, whatever Michael told you, so just… please promise, if you do decide to give us a chance, to be patient with these past versions of ourselves. Because we’re all kind of dumb and really fucking oblivious back then. It’ll take time to make things happen. But the next time you say those words to me, it’ll be _your_ Jack who says them back and he’ll mean it just as much as I do now. Maybe even more.”

And then he’d leant forward to press a soft a kiss to his forehead. And honestly, Gavin still wasn’t entirely sure what to do, with the man’s words or his own but… it was something to think about at the very least. And Gavin knew, as he met Jack’s warm, soothing gaze that he would. Because he’d seen something almost _perfect_ in the way these men loved each other and that the thought that he might one day get to share that with them… well it made something undeniably warm and slightly hopeful twist within his gut.

Before he’d had the chance to analyse that feeling any further though, his head suddenly started to feel heavy, fuzzy, his limbs slowly slipping out of feeling as he swayed into the older man’s side. And Jack held his hand the whole time, murmuring those three words one more time against the Brit’s forehead in a calm, soothing tone that told Gavin that, whatever it was that was happening here, he didn’t need to be afraid. Because, if anything, it almost felt as if certain things were just _finally_ slotting into place.

\----

It was a relief to say the least when he and Geoff had finally arrived back at their apartment that night, the older man suggesting a game night that was pretty obviously just a poorly disguised attempt to perk the Brit up a little. Gavin hadn’t called him out on it though, readily accepting the offer of a  distraction as he’d settled down with Geoff on the couch, the pair of them slipping into a companionable silence as they’d waited for Halo 4 to load up.

And as they’d played that night, Gavin couldn’t help but muse that it was actually kind of nice to get a little time to himself with the man for a change. Not that he’d ever want to alter what he had with his boys now, or rather _would_ have with them, in any kind of way but… he was trying to focus in on the positives here and now. Because if he did? It happened to make it that much easier to shut out the image of Ryan’s expression when he’d… yeah, definitely better to focus on the positives right now.

Which in some ways was suddenly much easier than it’d been for the entire day so far because… well, he knew how this ended and he knew it’d end pretty soon, that he’d be back in his boys’ arms and… well maybe it was a little selfish to be more focused on that than these versions of the men right now but he knew his past self would be up to the challenge here. After all, he’d been up to it too when it’d been his turn. And he knew whichever version of himself was with his boys right now would be no different. Because, whether or not he’d fully realized it yet, he’d always been at least halfway to in love with these men, ever since the moment he’d met them.

And however tough it got, however oblivious these men were, or hard to win in over in cases like Ryan’s (for reasons he suddenly, _finally,_ understood... and couldn’t help but feel a little guilty over), they were worth it. And they would always worth it because these were Gavin’s boys and he loved them and _that_ was what he’d told Jack to tell past him right now… Because those would be the words that’d drive him into actually making these boys _his_ in the now between his future and past selves, those would be the words that’d change everything.

But not yet. And so instead of beginning to drop any hints to make his past self’s path a little easier, he’d just sat at Geoff’s side, allowing himself to enjoy these last little glimpses into the past, his lips curling into a happy smile as the world finally began to blur around him moments later.

\----

“...on Gav, speak to me.”

“...Geoff?” Gavin’s eyes had slowly blinked into focus, taking in Geoff’s concerned expression then seemed to melt to a raw sort of relief as he’d allowed Gavin to sit up from where he’d somehow managed to roll off the couch when he… or his _other_ self he supposed, had managed to slip off it while he was passed out and…

“...dumbass, having me fucking worried like that.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be just… try not to do that again okay?” And suddenly there was something in the man’s eyes, barely there but… still a faint but visible glimmer all the same. It was a shadow of the look he’d seen in the man’s future self’s eyes as he’d looked at Jack or Michael or Ray or Ryan… or even him. And now he knew what that glimmer was, even if the gent likely hadn’t realized it yet; love. And suddenly, Gavin couldn’t help but feel that everything might just work out okay if he did decide to pursue this after all.

“I promise.”

\----

It’d been with a wide, obviously relieved, grin that Gavin had come to in Jack’s arms, all but launching himself at the man as he’d immediately pulled him down into a long, languid kiss. They’d only finally bothered to pull back when Michael had playfully nudged the Brit’s shoulder, insisting it was ‘his turn’ since Gavin’s past self had been teasing him earlier in a way that ‘really wasn’t fucking fair’ when the redhead couldn’t follow through on anything because of the ‘fucking timelines’.

And _none_ of them had missed the way Gavin had winced at that word, nor the way he’d immediately turned to Ryan after he and Michael had finally pulled apart, the first words on his lips an apology that the man had quickly shaken off, explaining that he understood why Gavin had said what he had now and that the Brit had more than made it up to him since then… And perhaps Gavin might have lingered a little longer over the man’s lips when he kissed him, murmuring another apology against them as he did because even if Ryan had forgiven him for what he’d done, he suspected it’d be a while before the Brit would be able to fully forgive himself.

Thankfully though, he’d been distracted moments later by an armful of Ray who’d offered him a warm hug before catching his lips in a playful kiss that actually managed to draw a soft whine of complaint from his lips when the man had pulled back, drawing a few amused chuckles from his boys (and god it felt bloody _great_ to call them _his_ again) as Michael commented that they’d definitely missed that.

And then suddenly it’d been Geoff’s hands on either sides of his face, thumb lightly smoothing across his cheek as he’d murmured the words ‘welcome back’. And then the gent’s lips had been on his, possessive and claiming and Gavin had never felt so bloody grateful to _be_ back than when they’d begun to stumble back towards the bed moments later, the others quickly following suit and finally everything was as it should be. Finally, everything was bloody _perfect._

\----

It was a year after the switch when Gavin had finally decided to write the letter. One year later to the day exactly... and what a bloody year it’d been. He’d filmed countless Let’s Plays, started up Immersion again with Michael (so now he actually knew what the hell Geoff had been bloody on about back then), had moved apartments and was actually in the process of moving offices with the rest of the Roosterteeth staff.

Most important of all though, a year after the switch and Gavin Free could no longer deny that he was madly in love with the men that, somewhere along the line, he’d started to view as _his_. And the best part was, after months of flirting and winning his boys over, little by little, they all considered him _theirs_ just as much.

And Gavin couldn’t be bloody happier.

He’d never really forgotten though that it’d been that day where… well whatever the hell had bloody happened when he’d switched places with his future self that had been the turning point in that, the moment that’d ensured that thing would happen this way, would happen the way that Gavin strongly suspected they’d always been meant to... And he didn’t know how, had no bloody idea for that matter and he was pretty bloody sure he’d never would but… he had a feeling, and it was more of an inkling than anything really but, he believed that he might just know _why_ it’d happened.

And so that was what he left them in his note.

_Dear Ryan, Jack, Geoff, Michael and Ray (yes I knew which order you’d pick this up in, I’m sure you’ve gathered by this point that it’s complicated)._

_Basically, your me, the ‘future’ me is in the past right now, your past. It’ll be the Gavin who’s with you’s present though so… bear with him on that. He’s going to be confused, a little disorientated and you’ll be the only thing that’ll stop him from going bloody insane. So anchor him, help him out and... try not to spoil anything too important for him._

_He’ll realize we’re together, that’s inevitable but… try to leave out other things like important developments in gaming or the kinds of projects we’ll get to work on. Try to leave him a few surprises to figure out along the way, yeah? Especially since if you don’t there’s probably gonna be some stuff that happens to do with the butterfly effect and timelines and… it’s probably better that we try to avoid messing with that stuff as much as possible really..._

_There is one thing I will need to know though, or at least I’m pretty sure I will. You see… and this is gonna sound fifty bloody shades of corny here so hear me out… I’m pretty sure past me and future me were switched for a reason. We were switched because past me needed a chance to realize something that future me already had; that he loves you. That he was already on his way to falling in love with you, even then. This is when he starts to figure that out so… be patient with him, don’t overload him with it all at once just, take it slow and remember that maybe he’ll need a nudge or two along the way. Make bloody sure he knows it’s all worth it in the end._

_Because once he realizes, that’s when everything will get set right. That’s when we get switched back and maybe it’s got something to do with soulmates or fate… or maybe it’s just bloody coincidence but I’m not taking any chances with this because being with you has made me the happiest I’ve ever been, and this is me speaking with only a few months of experience here._

_You five are my bloody everything, please try to help set me on the path to realizing that... And trust your instincts on that stuff because… well obviously you did something right for me to be writing this now._

_I love you all so bloody much,_

_Gavin David Free._


End file.
